They are 15-, 16- and 17-year old girls volleyball players from Salem and Windham.
He is a 21-year-old man from Lawrence who gained fame for his play on the basketball court … and then a tragic accident.
Salem girls volleyball coach Dan Young, who used to coach Hector Paniagua, asked him to speak to his team Saturday about how he has coped with his paralysis.
“The gist of it is don’t let opportunities slip by without relishing them,” said Young, whose club is hosting Nashua North Saturday in the Division 1 quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. “I don’t know how far into it he’ll go. I’ve heard him talk in general to people who knew the background.”
Young was impressed when he heard Paniagua was grateful that he tried to do the right things growing up and how people don’t forget that.
“I heard him do a talk on treating people with respect. He said, ‘If I was an idiot, who told off teachers, I wouldn’t have a house or a car.’”
Young was alluding to the outpouring of support Paniagua received because he was well-respected for more than the basketball skills that made him the 2005 Eagle-Tribune MVP.
The 4:30 start is so people can also watch the Red Sox. The defending champion Blue Devils are led by Amanda Saab, who has led them in kills each of the last six matches.
